Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Stay at Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast and experience the Pahoa lava flow first hand: Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast
is 7 miles away from the lava flow and Pahoa. The areas in and around Pahoa and Hale Moana Bed &
Breakfast are safe for residents and visitors alike. There is
no danger of lava inundation here at the Bed & Breakfast and
currently there are no air quality issues.Coming to Pahoa and the Puna area is completely safe. The lava flow has stalled and
break-outs are in the up-slope areas about 5 miles from the town center.
All roads are open and even the 300 yard stretch within Pahoa town opened today at noon, right in time for the holidays. All businesses, including restaurants and stores
are open and doing business as usual. There will be a lava viewing area. Here are several newspaper articles from today and yesterday:Road opening & lava viewingLava flow stalled:

There is currently
no access to "hot" lava in the Pahoa area, accept through helicopter
flights over the Pu'u O'o area and down-slope toward Pahoa. The county will
open the Pahoa Transfer Station as a public viewing area. At this site visitors
will be able to see how close the flow came to this Recycling Center and how
long lava is still warm to the touch.

Pahoa Transfer Station

The location
of “hot” breakouts changes daily and this is also why it is difficult to
establish a lava viewing area close to these breakouts. As soon as the lava is
flowing into the ocean or is continuously visible in a specific area, the
county will surely open a safe public viewing area that can then be accessed by
many people.

The Pahoa
lava flow adds to the unique experience and charm of this area. It presents a
historic event and visitors can be part of this. It is quite amazing to see,
how Pahoa despite the looming threat is alive and kicking. Restaurants, stores,
the farmers market, banks, gas stations, emergency services and other business
activities are open and doing business as usual. The way the community deals
with this imminent situation is an experience of resilience and hope, -
something we can all learn from and an important message for all of us to take
home. The Puna area is the perfect place to also experience the intensity and
prominence of Hawaiian culture and its Aloha Spirit – it is real and authentic.

The beauty
and charm of this area, including the Red Road/Hwy 137, Kalapana, historic
landmarks, parks (Ahalanui, Isaac Hale, MacKenzie, Lava Tree), Kapoho Tidepools
and old lava flows are unchanged and unaffected by the current flow. Instead it
adds to the uniqueness…Connecting Chain-of-Crater Road with Hwy 130 will
present a great benefit to the visitors to this area. This project is in
process, but will happen in time. It will provide easy access for the visitors
into the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park from the Puna/Pahoa area.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Stay at Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast and experience the Pahoa lava flow first hand: Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast
is 7 miles away from the lava flow and Pahoa. Hawaiian lava flows are slow and the current flow is momentarily stalled. Its flow front is only 100 yards wide. The areas in and around Pahoa and Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast are safe for residents and visitors alike. There is
no danger of lava inundation here at the Bed & Breakfast and currently there are no air quality issues.

To prepare for the possibility of Highway 130 and other alternate routes being crossed by lava, the Hawaii County has been working on connecting the eight-mile stretch between the end of Highway 130 in Kalapana and the end of the Chain-of-Crater Road from the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The joining of the two sides of Chain of Craters Road was a milestone
event and was covered from the air and the ground. Photos released by
the National Park show Mayor Billy Kenoi, County Public Works Director
Warren Lee, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park superintendent Cindy
Orlando arm-in-arm in celebration. But concerns loom over access. As
recently as a few days ago, Hawaii County Civil Defense administrator
Darryl Oliveira said the county was still trying to work out the details
on who could use Chain of Craters and how it would be managed.

Speed and Volatility of the Flow: Hawaii lava flows progress very slowly and are completely different from plinian eruptions at Mount St. Helens (1980) and Mt. Pinatubo (1991)

Size of the Flow: This current flow is 80 yards wide at the flow front.

Lava Glow visible: Even though public access is not available at this time, because the flow is going through residential areas, it is possible to watch the lava glow from Pahoa Village Road.

Access to Pahoa and the B&B: Alternate routes provide safe and adequate access in case the main highway is crossed by lava.

Pahoa Infrastructure and Life: Even though the lava flow is moving forward and going to split the town in half, residents are resilient and life continues in this little town that is also called the "Heart of Puna" : Restaurants are open, banks and post office are doing business as usual, stores are serving customers, no interruption of utilities gas stations are pumping gas!

For additional details and information on the lava flow, I am including the following links